JK Rowling shared on social media that she was pretty happy about a recent UK Supreme Court decision, receiving backlash from people.
JK Rowling has celebrated a ruling by the UK Supreme Court online
The court basically said that when it comes to the law, being a woman (or a man) is about biology, NOT about what’s written on a legal paper or certificate.
In their extremely long ruling, the judges said: “The definition of sex in the Equality Act 2010 makes clear that the concept of sex is binary, a person is either a woman or a man.”
On the other hand, Rowling praised the women behind the legal challenge
The author took to X to show some love for the women who pushed this whole thing forward. She wrote: “It took three extraordinary, tenacious Scottish women with an army behind them to get this case heard by the Supreme Court and, in winning, they’ve protected the rights of women and girls across the UK.”
The writer also made it clear she doesn’t think this ruling took anything away from trans people
She posted, “Trans people have lost zero rights today, although I don’t doubt some (not all) will be furious that the Supreme Court upheld women’s s*x-based rights.”
Not only did she support the ruling, but she also helped fund the whole campaign!
The Harry Potter author ended her post with a shoutout to the group that helped push the case forward. “@ForWomenScot, I’m so proud to know you,” she wrote, giving a nod to For Women Scotland (FWS), who called the ruling a big “victory” for women.
The judges were pretty clear on their decision
According to the Supreme Court, when the Equality Act says “woman” or talks about “s-x,” it’s referring to biological women only. That means trans women with gender recognition certificates (GRCs) aren’t included under that specific legal definition.
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But…. the Equality Act still protects trans people
While laying out the ruling, Lord Hodge made it clear the law still has protections in place for transgenders. “The Equality Act gives transgender people protection not only against discrimination through the protected characteristics of gender reassignment but also against direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, and harassment, in substance, in their acquired gender.”
A spokesperson for the UK government said the ruling “brings clarity and confidence”
They added, “We have always supported the protection of single-sex spaces based on biological sex. Single-sex spaces are protected in law and will always be protected by this government.”
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch shared a post on social media saying, “Women are women and men are men: you cannot change your biological sex.”
The ruling didn’t sit well with trans rights activists, though
Outside the court, a protester was heard shouting, “Trans rights are human rights” and “Even if you k*ll every last one of us, another will be born tomorrow.”
Scottish MP Maggie Chapman didn’t hold back either, saying, “This is a deeply concerning ruling for human rights and a huge blow to some of the most marginalized people in our society.”